


Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)

by yurianimeotaku



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2020-08-19 20:22:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20215723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yurianimeotaku/pseuds/yurianimeotaku
Summary: This is a sequel to "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough."





	1. "Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive." - Dalai Lama

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: The “Pitch Perfect” screenplay was written by Kay Cannon and the movie franchise is owned by Gold Circle Films. The song “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)” was written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. The author of this fanfiction does not profit, in any way, from the story. All creative rights to the characters and titles belong to their original creator(s).
> 
> AUTHOR’S NOTES: My wayward muse has returned from Club Muse with a lovely tan, but rather than inspire me to finish my current unfinished works, she decided we needed to revisit the zombies (Did I mention I suffer from Zombiephobia?).

Stacie stared at the wall calendar in the workshop and deeply sighed. 

“Why the big sigh?” Beca asked without looking at Stacie as she put the finishing touches on her latest project. 

“I was thinking how quiet our lives have become over the past several months,” Stacie answered. 

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Beca smiled at her handiwork and turned to look at Stacie. 

“Yes…it is, but…,” Stacie trailed off. 

Beca silently pondered, sighed, and answered, “Yeah, after all the shit we got through, it’s been kinda boring.” 

“Hallmark boring!” the two friends exclaimed in unison and broke out in laughter. 

“What’s so funny in here?” Aubrey asked as she walked past the two laughing hyenas with a basket of dirty laundry in her arms. 

Stacie popped off the workbench, “Here, let me,” and took the laundry basket from her girlfriend. 

Beca groaned, grabbed her finished project, and left the two lovebirds to their laundry. As soon as she emerged from the basement, she immediately headed to the chicken coop. 

Per usual, Beca found her girlfriend chatting with the chickens. She stashed her project outside the chicken coop before entering. 

“How are the girls today?” Beca asked. 

Without turning around, Chloe answered, “They are all fed and doing quite well. Did you finish your _project_?” 

“H…h…how…?” Beca stammered. 

Chloe turned around and smiled, “Beca, you have been holed up in the workshop for weeks and all Stacie would tell me was you were working on a _project_.” 

Beca scurried out of the chicken coop, grabbed her project, and proudly presented it to Chloe, “Ta-da!” 

Chloe almost dropped the basket of eggs she was holding and tears began to run down her cheeks. 

“B…B…Beca…,” Chloe sobbed. 

Beca placed her finished masterpiece down and ran to comfort her girlfriend, “Chlo…? Did I make…” 

Chloe cut her off, “No…I’m just SO happy.” 

Beca breathed a sigh of relief and hugged Chloe, careful not to crush the basket of eggs. 

“Beca Mitchell, you never cease to amaze me,” Chloe kissed her girlfriend’s cheek, “I love you.” 

Beca took the basket of eggs from Chloe and handed her now bouncing girlfriend the finished cradle. 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t get one from the warehouse store, but who knew they didn’t stock them there,” Beca chuckled. 

“Beca,” Chloe cupped her girlfriend’s cheek, “This cradle means more than any of those store models because you made it.” 

Beca blushed, “Conrad helped with the hard parts.” 

Chloe rubbed her baby bump, “I know Bechloe will love it because her mom made it.” 

“So, you nixed Bloie?” Beca laughed. 

Chloe arched her eyebrow and glared at Beca. 

“What about Bella?” Aubrey asked as she and Stacie entered the chicken coop. 

“Maybe…I haven’t completely ruled that one out,” Chloe smiled and handed the cradle to Aubrey. 

Aubrey cast a critical eye on the handmade cradle and looked at Beca, who internally cringed and braced herself. 

“Hmmm…,” Aubrey closely examined the cradle, turning it several times, before finally stating, “…very nice. I really like the hand-carved details and especially the joinery techniques.” 

Beca let out the breath she was holding, “Of course you would Posen. Conrad did the dovetailing.” 

“But you did the hand-carving,” Aubrey added and pointed to the elaborate scroll-work incorporating all their initials. 

Beca blushed to her hairline. After a bit, they exited the chicken coop and headed inside. Aubrey brought in the basket of eggs since she and Stacie were headed to the kitchen to start dinner. Beca and Chloe brought the new cradle to their bedroom. 

Beca placed the cradle next to the bed and laid the baby blanket Aubrey knitted for them inside. Chloe wrapped her arms around Beca from behind. 

“Perfect,” Chloe stated. 

In the kitchen, Aubrey mindlessly prepared dinner. Stacie kept an eye on her listless girlfriend as she assisted. The tall brunette knew everyone except Chloe was dreading the impending birth. Ever since Beca announced her girlfriend was pregnant; all three friends have been hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. 

“Hon?” Stacie called. 

Aubrey continued stirring the already over-stirred pot, so Stacie reached over and stopped the blonde’s hand. 

“It’s stirred enough,” Stacie smiled. 

“Stacie, what are we going to do if the baby is a…,” Aubrey gasped and covered her mouth. 

“We are going to do what every good godparent does,” Stacie reassured. 

“And that is?” Beca asked. 

“Beca!” Stacie exclaimed. 

The intense brunette repeated her question. Stacie silently stared at her now best “bro” desperately trying to figure out what to tell Beca so she did not end up alienating her. 

After several tense silent minutes, Stacie finally stated with conviction, “We are going to do everything necessary to ensure baby Bechloe’s survival.” 

Beca smiled and thanked her best “bro.” 

“Hey Beca, I agree with Aubrey. I think Bella is a much better name. It’s fitting and pays homage to our fallen sisters,” Stacie stated. 

Beca leaned in close and whispered, “I think so too, but it’s up to Chloe. I just hope she doesn’t look like…,” she made a gagging motion. 

“We both hope so too,” Aubrey finally piped in.


	2. “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” – Lao Tzu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: The “Pitch Perfect” screenplay was written by Kay Cannon and the movie franchise is owned by Gold Circle Films. The song “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)” was written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. The author of this fan fiction does not profit, in any way, from the story. All creative rights to the characters and titles belong to their original creator(s).

As Beca stared at the security monitors, her mind began to wander down a dark path; one she struggled to avoid since she realized Chloe was not just putting on weight. She shook her head to clear it, but it did not help, so she radioed Stacie and let her know she needed a break. A few minutes later, Aubrey showed up to relieve Beca. The perceptive blonde immediately knew something was wrong after Beca thanked her as she exited the security room. 

Aubrey waited until Beca was out of earshot before radioing Stacie with her concerns. Stacie reassured her “mother hen” girlfriend and told her they needed to give Beca space right now. 

Beca aimlessly wandered around the house until she walked face-first into one of the punching bags hanging in the workout room. 

“Shit!” Beca rubbed her nose, growled, “Stupid bag!” and punched it. 

The surly brunette suddenly felt better and ran to change into her workout clothes. With every single punch, Beca felt the anger she had bottled up dissipate. She roughly swatted at her tears between punches and when there were more tears than she could swat, she plopped down on the mat and sobbed. 

Beca’s fears were causing her thoughts to run amok, _“What the fuck am I going to do if the baby kills Chloe? I can’t allow that. I won’t allow that! Chloe was so happy when she told me she can feel the baby growing inside of her. Why is she so fucking happy to be having that rapist’s baby?” _Beca shook her head to clear it. _“**NO!** This is **not** Chloe’s fault. I can’t think like that. I love her. I can learn to love the baby…I hope.”_ Beca groaned, roughly wiped her face, and stood up to leave the workout room._   
_

“Beca, are you okay?” Stacie asked. 

The upset little brunette looked at her “bro.” The genuine caring countenance of her friend shattered her fragile bravado and she lost her composure. Beca uncharacteristically hugged Stacie and buried her face in her taller friend’s ample chest. Stacie wrapped her arms around Beca and comforted her. 

She murmured over and over, “It’ll be okay” while Beca sobbed. 

After several minutes another voice cut in and put an abrupt end to the broship, “Chloe is looking for Beca.” 

Beca swiftly pulled away from Stacie and profusely apologized. 

“Beca, please don’t apologize for being human. I’m here if you need me,” Stacie brightly smiled. 

The now embarrassed brunette glanced at Aubrey. 

“That goes for me as well…even though you’re still a grade-A pain in the ass,” Aubrey answered Beca’s unasked question. 

“Thanks?” Beca snarked. 

“There you are,” Chloe exclaimed.” 

“Beca and I were working out,” Stacie offered. 

Even though she knew Stacie was lying, since Beca was the only one dressed for a workout, Chloe smiled and ignored the lie. 

“Beca, I need help in the bedroom,” Chloe stated. 

Stacie teasingly elbowed Beca and was immediately corrected by Chloe, “Not _that_ way!” 

Before anyone could say anything, Beca grabbed Chloe’s hand and quickly exited the workout room. As soon as the couple left, Stacie looked at Aubrey. 

“Chloe isn’t stupid…or blind,” Aubrey stated. 

The agitated redhead did not say a word to Beca until they were inside their bedroom. Beca sat on the edge of the bed and waited. Chloe stood in front of her girlfriend. 

“_What_ was all that back there?” Chloe asked.

Beca sat silently looking at Chloe and then flatly stated, “Stacie was comforting me.” 

Between the utter sadness in Beca’s eyes and her defeated body language, Chloe finally realized the toll her pregnancy was taking on her girlfriend. 

“Beca, I can terminate…” Chloe began but was swiftly cut off by Beca. 

“NO! Do not finish that,” Beca warned, “I don’t want _that_.” 

Chloe wrapped her arms around Beca and silently hugged her tightly. About an hour later, the smiling couple emerged from their bedroom and went in search of their friends. They found Aubrey and Stacie in the security room. The desk was covered with folders and each one was immersed in their own reading material. 

“What’s going on in _here_?” Beca asked, “Spring cleaning?” 

At the sound of Beca’s voice, Aubrey briefly glanced up, smiled at Chloe, and resumed reading. Stacie motioned for Beca and Chloe to sit down and took a deep cleansing breath. 

“Ever since you both announced Chloe’s pregnancy, Aubrey and I felt something was _off_, but we didn’t know _what_. We scoured all the medical records, but couldn’t find anything…until now. Remember the “Accounting” folder with the formula for the cure?” Stacie asked. 

Beca and Chloe nodded their heads. 

“According to some of the doctor’s handwritten notes we found tucked inside a pocket of his briefcase, the original cure didn’t work. The virus mutated faster than they anticipated, so they had to come up with a replacement and fast. The virus spread at an alarming rate. None of their cures worked until Chloe arrived. Z2012 was created from the original cure. The doctor hid a treasure trove of information in plain sight. I found a photo album with a photo of the doctor’s children on the cover,” Stacie held up the photo album. 

“So?” Beca asked. 

“It wouldn’t stand out unless you knew the doctor didn’t have any children,” Stacie handed the photo album to Beca. 

“How did you know that?” Beca asked. 

“It was in his personnel file,” Stacie answered and motioned for Beca to open the photo album.

Chloe leaned in next to Beca and both of their jaws dropped. Inside the photo album were charts and notes about Chloe’s pregnancy.


	3. “Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.” – Bruce Lee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: The “Pitch Perfect” screenplay was written by Kay Cannon and the movie franchise is owned by Gold Circle Films. The song “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)” was written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. The author of this fan fiction does not profit, in any way, from the story. All creative rights to the characters and titles belong to their original creator(s).
> 
> AUTHOR’S NOTES: I apologize to my readers for the delay in posting this chapter. It was completed a while ago, but I did not have time to edit it until now. #NeverForget

While the couple read the doctor’s notes journaling Chloe’s pregnancy, Stacie finished reading the doctor’s personnel file. She and Aubrey stealthily monitored their two friends, in case they needed to intervene. 

Fifteen minutes later, after Beca and Chloe finished reading, Stacie patiently waited for them to speak. They continued to silently stare into space and it was beginning to worry the tall brunette. She passed Aubrey the doctor’s personnel file. Aubrey quietly read the file, doing her best to maintain a calm façade. Stacie cleared her throat to gain Beca’s and Chloe’s attention. 

“Are you two okay?” Stacie inquired. 

Beca shook her head. Chloe did not react. Stacie feared her redheaded friend was in a state of shock and silently motioned to Aubrey to grab the medical kit. 

“Beca?” Stacie called. 

The dumbfounded brunette looked at her concerned friend and stared through her. 

Stacie called a bit louder, “Beca?” 

After several uncertain minutes, Beca shook her head to clear it and answered, “I’m okay…I think.” 

She turned her head and looked at Chloe. When she saw her girlfriend’s condition, she immediately turned to Stacie and opened her mouth to speak, just as Aubrey entered the security room. The efficient blonde waved the bottle of smelling salts under Chloe’s nose, bringing the redhead back.

“Are you okay?” Aubrey asked Chloe. 

Chloe weakly nodded. 

“Beca?” Stacie asked. 

“Yeah, I’m back,” Beca answered and then yelled, “WHAT THE FUCK?!” 

“Beca, you don’t have to yell,” Stacie calmly stated. 

The now furious brunette abruptly stood up and stormed out of the security room. A few seconds later, everyone heard her screaming from the workout room, peppered with the sound of punching. 

Stacie winced and worried, “She’s not wearing gloves. Her knuckles are going to be raw.” 

Before Stacie could ask Aubrey to prepare to treat Beca’s hands, her girlfriend was already preparing everything she would need to do so. Stacie smiled proudly. 

After the yelling and punching stopped, Beca returned to the security room. Aubrey grabbed the exhausted brunette and began treating her bloody raw knuckles. 

“Feel better now?” Stacie asked Beca. 

“Some…,” Beca began to answer and growled, “Owww!” as she pulled her hands away from Aubrey. 

Aubrey briefly paused, sighed, pulled Beca’s hands back, and continued treating them. Beca glared at Aubrey and then looked at Stacie. 

“According to the records I just finished reading, the acting president ordered the doctor to find a serum that worked,” Stacie stated. 

“Huh? **_Acting _**president?” Beca asked. 

“Apparently after the outbreak, the Speaker of the House and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in an unprecedented move, arrested the president and vice-president after it was proven they started the pandemic,” Stacie smiled. 

Beca growled, “IF _they_ had acted **sooner**, we wouldn’t be in this mess.” 

“True, but we can’t concern ourselves with “what ifs” now. According to the records, Z2012 never made it to Washington D.C. because one of the guards was bitten by his infected girlfriend and he didn’t tell anyone. The government stronghold was breached and we assume everyone inside was compromised,” Stacie replied. 

“Then why didn’t the doctor just release Chloe?” Beca asked. 

“In his personal journal…,” Stacie held up an expensive leather-bound journal, “…he expounded on and on about how he was the “Chosen One.” The guy had a serious “God complex” and he saw the pandemic as the perfect opportunity to create a perfect world.” 

“So that’s why he kept Chloe as his personal lab rat?” Beca snarled. 

“More like his personal incubator,” Stacie softly mumbled, hoping Beca would not hear her. 

As soon as Beca swiftly stood up and flew into another rage, Stacie knew she failed. 

“SO! SO!” Beca yelled and pointed at Chloe’s baby bump. 

“Beca, please calm down,” Stacie softly requested. 

Beca reluctantly sat down. Stacie patiently waited for Beca’s anger to subside, but it appeared that would not be happening anytime soon, so the tall brunette stood and motioned for Beca to follow her. Chloe quickly looked at Aubrey who only shrugged. 

Stacie led Beca outside to the shooting range they built. 

She grabbed the old flintlock musket leaning against the utility table and handed it to Beca, “Here, load this and shoot it,” Stacie instructed. 

“What for?” Beca growled. 

“Trust me, it’ll help,” Stacie smiled and handed Beca a bag of shot, a funnel, and flask of gunpowder. 

As Beca fumbled to load the antique, she asked, “Where did you get _this_?” 

“From the survivalist’s collection. One of the cabinets contained several antiques,” Stacie answered. 

Beca lifted the heavy weapon up to aim it and her arms almost immediately buckled from the weight. 

“Fuck! This thing weighs a ton!” Beca complained and attempted to aim it again.

It took several more attempts before Beca was able to hold the weapon steady enough to cock the hammer and pull the trigger. The flash and bang startled Beca, causing her to drop the musket. 

Stacie picked up the weapon and handed it to Beca, “Again.” 

Beca shot Stacie a skeptical look, “Seriously?” 

“Yes…unless you have your emotions under control,” Stacie held the weapon out to Beca. 

The uncertain brunette looked at the very loud and heavy flintlock musket, paused in thought, and waved it away, “I’m good.” 

As the two friends walked back into the house, Stacie said, “You get to clean that beast after we’re done in the security room.” 

When Beca and Stacie entered the security room, they found Aubrey comforting a distraught Chloe. Beca flew to her girlfriend’s side and Aubrey passed her the sobbing redhead. Stacie gave her girlfriend a questioning look of concern. 

“What happened?” Beca asked Aubrey. 

“I honestly don’t know. One minute she was reading and the next she was crying,” Aubrey answered. 

Beca tried talking to Chloe, but it was no use. Stacie picked up the folder Chloe was reading earlier and as soon as she saw the label, she instantly knew why her friend was hysterical. She internally debated whether she should tell Beca or not. After several agonizing minutes for Stacie, she made her decision. 

“Beca, Chloe found out she’s not carrying Chicago’s baby,” Stacie relayed the information as placidly as possible, so she did not upset Beca as well. 

“What the hell?” Beca exclaimed. 

Stacie took a deep cleansing breath and said, “The thing that made myself and Aubrey question whether Chloe was carrying Chicago’s baby was that during our searches for Chloe, I found several discarded condoms. Yes, I know condoms aren’t completely reliable, but still…” 

“WHAT?” Beca yelled. 

“I chose to keep that information from you, for _this_ very reason,” Stacie said, pointing at Beca. 

Beca took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, “Okay, I’m fine now.” 

Stacie looked at her friend with skepticism, but continued, “Since Chicago was using condoms while Chloe was healthy, she wouldn’t have conceived. If he stopped using them while she was infected, the virus more than likely would’ve stopped conception. Either way, we knew Chicago couldn’t possibly be the father. The doctor’s records confirmed this. After nearly eradicating the virus in Chloe, the doctor decided to use her in his research.” 

Beca furrowed her brow in thought and when realization dawned on her, her eyes grew to the size of saucers. 

“Beca, it’s **not** what you’re thinking! The doctor used invitro to impregnate Chloe. As I said before, the guy had a serious “God complex.” He believed he was chosen to create the…” Stacie used air quotes, “…master race.” 

“Sounds a lot like Dr. Josef Mengele,” Aubrey worried. 

“Judging by what I’ve read in his personal journal, this guy was heading down the same path, except his plan was to create a “master race” of _soldiers_ that were naturally immune to the zombie virus with superior military prowess,” Stacie explained. 

“So…since the egomaniac felt he was God’s gift to mankind, Chloe is carrying _his_ baby?” Beca growled. 

Stacie picked up the doctor’s personal journal and read aloud, “I have the perfect female to give birth to my “master race” of soldiers. While I am genetically perfect, I am unfortunately not a perfect specimen of military prowess, so I acquired sperm from the perfect military male. He breathes, eats, and sleeps the military.” 

“Well, it definitely **wasn’t** that rapist. This just gets more and more fucked up!” Beca groused. 

Stacie silently read ahead and her jaw fell open. 

When Beca saw Stacie’s reaction, she closed her eyes, shook her head, took a deep cleansing breath and asked, “What?”


	4. “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.” – Buddhist proverb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: The “Pitch Perfect” screenplay was written by Kay Cannon and the movie franchise is owned by Gold Circle Films. The song “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)” was written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. The author of this fan fiction does not profit, in any way, from the story. All creative rights to the characters and titles belong to their original creator(s).
> 
> AUTHOR’S NOTES: Kudos to E.M. Praetorian and RJRMovieFan.

“Oh, hell no!” Stacie shook her head in disbelief. 

“What?” Aubrey, Beca, and Chloe asked in unison. 

“No, no, no…” Stacie growled and slammed the journal closed. 

“WHAT?” the trio exclaimed again. 

Aubrey could tell her girlfriend was barely holding it together, so she gently took the doctor’s journal from Stacie’s hand and read the passage to herself. 

“That can’t be,” Aubrey muttered. 

“WHAT?” Beca yelled, exasperated and frustrated. 

“Chloe…is…carrying…my…my…sibling,” Aubrey sputtered, completely incredulous. 

“YOUR WHAT?!” Beca exclaimed and grabbed the doctor’s journal from Aubrey. 

Beca and Chloe read the journal entry aloud in unison, “Colonel Posen is the perfect specimen of military prowess. Of course, he wouldn’t voluntarily give me a sperm sample without a good reason, so I told him I needed it to test the serum.” 

The security room fell so eerily quiet, you could hear a gnat fart. No one spoke for a very long time. Chloe finally broke the uncomfortable silence. 

“Bella,” Chloe softly said. 

“What?” Aubrey asked. 

“Bella. Since she’s a double-Bella, she should be named Bella,” Chloe clarified. 

“What if _she’s_ a he?” Beca asked. 

“She…,” Chloe lovingly rubbed her baby bump, “…is **definitely** a girl.” 

With that, the earlier tension in the room strangely dissipated. The friends continued to read all the file folders they had in their possession until a loud sound drew their attention to the security monitors. 

Beca stared at the monitor for the front of the compound and growled, “Who the fuck are **_they_**?” 

“Looks like trouble…with a capital “T,” Stacie cautioned. 

Everyone swiftly ran to their battle stations inside the house because outside, in front of their gate, sat a large truck with two men inside the cab and four men in the bed. The driver threateningly revved the engine, as if he intended to ram through the front gate. 

“HEY! ANYONE HOME?” the driver tauntingly called out. 

Before Beca could flip open the mic and reply, Stacie stopped her. 

“Beca, how are we going to defend against a truck driving through our front gate?” Stacie worried. 

The feisty brunette grinned and flipped open the mic, “What the fuck do you assholes want?” 

Stacie, completely incredulous, glared at Beca. 

“You sound cute! I just wanna _talk_,” the driver laughed. 

Beca and Stacie then heard the driver tell the passenger, “I have just the _thing_ to shove in that smart mouth of hers.”_   
_

“Great! _More_ rapists,” Beca rolled her eyes and complained, “**_Why_** the fuck didn’t all these types of assholes get wiped out with the virus?” 

“How can you be so calm?” Stacie asked. 

Beca motioned for Stacie to calm down and flipped open the mic, “No rapists allowed.” 

They heard the men angrily talking with each other, but with all of them talking at once, it was difficult to distinguish anything clearly. After the yelling died down, the driver threateningly revved the truck’s engine in a show of power. Beca rolled her eyes. Suddenly the truck flew backward, stopped, revved its engine, and headed straight for the gate. An evil grin graced Beca’s face, which confused Stacie, who was quickly trying to formulate an alternate plan of action in her head. She hoped Aubrey and Chloe would take out the truck before it rammed through the front gate. 

“Come and get it…assholes,” Beca muttered with her finger poised over a button on the security control console. 

When the truck reached Beca’s target point, she pressed the button. Stacie’s jaw fell open as she watched a defensive line of Czech hedgehogs rise up from the ground around the entire perimeter of the compound. The truck did not have time to stop and plowed into it, effectively stopping it. The driver and passenger were impaled in the truck upon impact. The men in the truck bed were thrown several feet from it. 

“B…B…Beca? What the hell was that?” Aubrey breathlessly demanded from the security room doorway. 

“Protecting Bella and Chloe,” Beca answered without turning around. 

“Beca?” Stacie asked. 

Beca turned to Stacie, “I found it by accident while you guys went to visit Cynthia-Rose.” 

A joyous Stacie grabbed and hugged Beca tightly. After a few seconds, the short brunette’s body stiffened, so Stacie released her and saw the terrifying blue flames in her friend’s eyes. At that moment, Beca’s three friends sadly remembered what Kommissar told them _that_ day: 

_“While the security team was trying to subdue a chronic troublemaker, Cynthia-Rose saved my life. She pushed me out of the way and he fatally stabbed her instead of me. The murderer escaped from our makeshift holding cell sometime that night. Here is a flyer we made.”_

Beca reached into her pocket, pulled out a folded tattered flyer, and tightly clenched it in her hand. Chloe cautiously approached her furious girlfriend and gently touched her arm. 

“Beca?” Chloe softly asked, trying to gently soothe her girlfriend’s rage. 

Several minutes later, Beca felt Chloe’s hand, “Chlo?”

“Welcome back,” Chloe lovingly smiled. 

Beca looked around at her friends and apologized. 

“We all feel the same as you,” Stacie patted Beca’s shoulder and assured her, “If we find him, we’ll make sure the coward receives the justice he escaped, but for now, how does that thing retract?” 

Beca pressed the button and the defensive line vanished back into the ground. 

“Hmmm…,” Stacie grinned, “…so he _did_ have a defense system besides the electric fence. I was wondering _why_ I didn’t see any overt heavy-duty defense systems. I wonder what other covert surprises this place holds?” 

“A bunch!” Beca beamed, “That dude must’ve either been a billionaire, well-connected, or both because there’s some badass military-grade shit installed in this system.” 

“Like what?” Stacie excitedly asked. 

Before Beca could answer, Aubrey loudly cleared her throat and asked, “What about that?” as she pointed to the security monitor. 

Beca and Stacie looked up at the monitors and winced when they saw the carnage waiting for them outside. The zombies already found the survivors from the truck bed and were enjoying their feast. 

Beca groaned, “That’s going to be one hell of a cleanup job.” 

“No kidding,” Stacie sighed. 

“Why can’t we just leave them out there?” Chloe asked. 

“Unfortunately, they are too close to the compound,” Stacie responded. 

“What are we going to do with that mess of a truck?” Aubrey inquired. 

Before Stacie could offer a solution, Beca happily interrupted, “**This**,” and pressed another button.


	5. “In a mad world, only the mad are sane.” - Akira Kurosawa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: The “Pitch Perfect” screenplay was written by Kay Cannon and the movie franchise is owned by Gold Circle Films. The song “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)” was written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. The author of this fan fiction does not profit, in any way, from the story. All creative rights to the characters and titles belong to their original creator(s).
> 
> AUTHOR’S NOTES: I LOVE writing fan fiction because it allows me to vent my real-life frustrations without landing in jail…for now. We are now leaving reality and entering the land of “pure imagination.”

After Beca pressed the button, a large metal arm with a claw on the end, like the ones you see in industrial assembly factories, rose up from one of the four tall metal utility boxes located in each corner of the compound. 

Bemused, Stacie stated, “I thought those were real utility boxes.” 

The large metal claw parked itself over the fence as if awaiting further orders. Beca used a joystick controller to operate the claw and easily picked up the truck. She dangled it in the air and prepared to toss it until something caught her eye. The curious brunette squinted at the image on the monitor, reached over to the camera’s controls, and zoomed in on the occupants in the truck cab. 

“Beca, they’re dead,” Stacie assured. 

The distracted brunette ignored her friend and zoomed in on the driver’s face. Suddenly, her eyes opened wide and she pulled out the flyer in her pocket. 

After comparing the photo on the flyer with the dead driver, Beca yelled, “I WAS RIGHT! IT’S THAT MOTHERFUCKER!” 

Stacie looked at the photo on the flyer and the dead driver, “Damn, you’re right! You have one hell of an eye.” 

“Well, he’s dead…,” Aubrey began but was startled into silence when Beca slammed her fist down on the security control console. 

The defeated little brunette flopped into the chair facing the bank of security monitors and silently stared at the image on the screen.

Once again, it was Chloe who was able to break through to Beca, “B…B…Beca?” 

Beca turned and looked at her girlfriend, who was pointing at the security monitor. The perplexed brunette swiftly turned and looked at the screen. All four friends were shocked to see the driver moving. 

“Oh. Hell. NO!” Beca growled and pressed the button to the right of the first button she pressed. 

Another metal claw rose from the tall metal utility box in the corner directly across from the first one and poised itself over the fence. An expressionless Beca flipped the switch on her joystick controller to the second position and maneuvered the second claw over to the truck. With surprising precision, she expertly plucked the driver out of the truck cab, like one would pluck out a splinter with a pair of tweezers. With another flick of the switch back to the first position, Beca controlled the claw holding the truck and effortlessly tossed the mangled truck and its dead passenger several feet in the air. It landed close to the charred remains of Colonel Posen’s military transport. 

“It’s like playing horseshoes, but on a much bigger scale,” Beca laughed without mirth. 

“I honestly wouldn’t have believed it unless I saw it with my own two eyes,” Stacie muttered. 

“What about the…,” Aubrey began to ask but fell silent as she watched Beca’s countenance grow darker. 

“Conrad, what say you on this?” Beca asked without turning to look at Stacie. 

Stacie quickly looked at Aubrey and Chloe. 

“Guilty,” Aubrey and Stacie passed their unanimous verdict. 

Beca nodded and flipped the joystick controller switch back to the second position. She maneuvered the claw holding the driver over a group of zombies busy feasting on one of the dead men from the truck bed. She waved the unconscious man over the group to gain their attention and the movement brought the killer to his senses. When he looked down and saw the group of zombies reaching up for him, he screamed. 

“HELP! HELP! THEY’RE GOING TO EAT ME!” 

Beca flipped open the mic and asked, “So?” 

“Th…th…this is wrong,” the dangling man sputtered. 

“No...**_wrong_** was when you stabbed and killed our friend,” Beca growled. 

The killer’s thought process played out on his face as he tried to remember which one of his many victims could have been the friend they were talking about. Beca flipped off the mic and turned to her friends. 

“It looks like Cynthia-Rose was not his only victim.” 

“I…I…I’m sorry! I was just trying to…survive…like everyone else,” the scared killer pleaded. 

Beca flipped open the mic, “Why don’t I believe you? Dude, you killed the wrong woman and now you’re going to face justice…_frontier_ justice.” 

“I’M SORRY! I’M **REALLY** SORRY! **Please** don’t do this,” the killer begged. 

Before Beca could move, Chloe softly called, “Beca?” 

Anticipating what her girlfriend was about to say, the frustrated little brunette deeply sighed. 

“Wouldn’t feeding him to the zombies lessen our humanity and bring us down to his deplorable level?” Chloe asked. 

Beca looked at Stacie. 

“_This_ is one of those hard decisions I said you would have to make,” Stacie tried to assuage Beca’s guilt, knowing how difficult this was for her sidekick. 

Beca turned back to the security monitor and watched the killer’s desperate, but futile attempts to free himself from the claw’s strong grip as he kicked at the many zombie hands trying to reach him. She pondered the moral gravity of what she was about to do. On one hand, she wanted to feed him to the zombies. On the other, she did not want Chloe to think she had completely lost her moral compass. As she thought, she subconsciously raised the claw, moving the killer away from the grasping zombies. When the claw reached its maximum height, it automatically stopped. Beca deeply sighed and began maneuvering the claw over the fence when the smiling face of her murdered Bella sister flashed in front of her. She suddenly stopped, reversed course, and dangled the killer back over the group of zombies at the claw’s maximum height. 

She murmured, “I’m sorry Chloe,” and pressed the release button.


	6. “To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: The “Pitch Perfect” screenplay was written by Kay Cannon and the movie franchise is owned by Gold Circle Films. The song “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)” was written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. The author of this fan fiction does not profit, in any way, from the story. All creative rights to the characters and titles belong to their original creator(s).
> 
> AUTHOR’S NOTES: I have finally realized my muse is powered by my frustration and anger, so she has been quite active lately, which is a bother when my day job requires my full attention. I apologize for taking SO long to post this chapter, but with a global pandemic raging, I am currently in a seven-county “shelter-in-place” with my bratty cat and my extremely pissed off muse. I hope everyone is staying safe.

Stacie swiftly turned off all of the security monitors and turned her attention to Beca, who was still staring at the blank screen.

“Beca?” Stacie gently called and took the joystick controller out of her friend’s hands.

When the tall brunette did not get a response, she gave Chloe an imploring look. The worried redhead walked over to Beca and wrapped her arms around her listless girlfriend. Stacie motioned for Aubrey to join her and they exited the security room.

Once they reached the kitchen, Aubrey asked, “Do you think she’ll be okay?”

Stacie sat down at the kitchen table and motioned for her girlfriend to join her, “Beca is resilient, but I feel she’ll need Chloe to get her through this one.”

“For a moment there, it looked like Beca was going to save that murderer. What the hell were we supposed to do with **_him_**?” Aubrey lashed out.

Stacie took Aubrey’s hand in hers, “I know. I know. It would’ve been Chicago all over again, but a hundred times worse. After everything we’ve been through, I was almost certain Beca would be able to make the hard choices necessary for survival in this lawless pandemic, but after today, I’m not so sure anymore.”

“We need a plan for next time,” Aubrey stated with conviction.

Stacie silently pondered Aubrey’s words.

Almost half an hour later, Beca and Chloe sat down at the kitchen table.

Aubrey asked, “Is everything alright?”

“Yes,” Chloe nodded.

Beca weakly smiled and looked at Stacie, who was still deep in thought, “What’s up with…?” and hooked her thumb at her brunette friend.

Aubrey handed Beca a cup of freshly brewed coffee, “Leave her alone. She’s concentrating on a problem I posed to her earlier.”

Several more silent minutes passed before Stacie looked at Beca and smiled, “I’m assuming the other two utility boxes contain those claws?”

Beca, who had just taken a large gulp of coffee, shrugged.

“You haven’t tested them?” Stacie asked, a bit surprised.

Beca shook her head.

“I need you to show me **everything** you discovered and how to use it, okay?” Stacie requested.

“Now?” Beca wondered.

Stacie nodded, stood up, and gestured for Beca to go ahead of her.

As she walked to the security room with Beca, hoping to lighten up the mood, Stacie lightly joked, “Well, so much for _Hallmark boring_.”

Beca gave Stacie a sideways glare and nodded.

The two spent the remainder of the day holed up in the security room until Aubrey demanded they come to the kitchen table and eat dinner. During dinner, much to Aubrey’s annoyance, Stacie studied her copious notes.

“I gather we are cleaning up the carnage outside _tomorrow_?” Aubrey sternly asked.

“Beca already cleaned it up,” Chloe stated before putting a forkful of food in her mouth.

This piqued Stacie’s interest, “What?”

Before Chloe could repeat herself, Stacie smacked the palm of her hand against her forehead as realization dawned, “No wonder the area looked cleaner than it should’ve been.”

“The flamethrower and laser seriously sped things up,” Chloe placed another forkful of food in her mouth and asked, “Aubrey? Is this beef?”

“No, but it tastes just like it,” the proud cook smiled.

Beca immediately stopped chewing and asked, “What do you mean by “_it tastes just like it_?”

“Stacie found some Impossible meat on one of her supply runs,” Aubrey laughed at Beca and assured her, “It’s safe to eat.”

After hearing her name, Stacie looked up from her notes and suddenly realized Chloe said something about a flamethrower and laser.

Stacie exclaimed, “WHAT?!” 

Beca swallowed the food in her mouth and answered, “This _Impossible meat stuff_ surprisingly tastes like beef.”

Stacie shook her head and clarified, “No, not _that_, what was Chloe saying about a flamethrower and laser?”

Beca mumbled, “I haven’t shown you those yet,” around a mouthful of food.

Stacie started to rise out of her seat, but Aubrey swiftly tugged her girlfriend back down, “**_After_** dinner and _after_ we do the dishes.”

The disappointed brunette began to protest, but one look from Aubrey shut her down. She sat back down, picked up her fork, kissed Aubrey on the cheek, and started shoveling food into her mouth.

“Slow down…you’ll choke,” Aubrey scolded.

“But,” Stacie mumbled around a mouthful of food.

“No _buts_,” Aubrey playfully glared at her now pouting girlfriend.

After dinner, and after the dishes were washed, all four friends gathered in the security room. Stacie sat in Beca’s command chair and tried, although not very successfully, to contain her excitement.

“Dude, you’re bouncing like a kid on Christmas morning,” Beca snarked.

Stacie was thrilled to see Beca returning to her old self and responded with a big shit-eating grin. She reached over and turned on the security monitors. As Chloe reported, almost all traces of the earlier carnage were gone.

“Did you use the flamethrower and laser on the human remains? Are those two things in the other two utility towers? Are they controlled with the joystick controller as well?” Stacie rapid-fired questions at Beca and then actively scanned the security console, “Which buttons control them?”

“Conrad!” Beca barked, effectively extinguishing Stacie’s passionate enthusiasm, “Calm the fuck down.”

“Sorry,” Stacie sheepishly apologized.

While Chloe and Aubrey watched, Beca taught Stacie how to use the security devices she knew about. After it grew too dark to see outside without the floodlights, Aubrey ended class for the day, even though Stacie wanted to continue.

“No, it’s time for bed,” Aubrey scolded.

After Aubrey pulled a reluctant Stacie out of the security room, Chloe waited for Beca while she shut everything down and enabled the night watch settings. Once the security room was secure, the couple retired to their bedroom and prepared for bed. Beca was in bed staring at the ceiling when Chloe got in.

“Beca? Are you okay?” Chloe softly asked.

“Yes and no,” Beca cryptically answered.

Chloe closed her eyes and patiently waited for the moment Beca was ready to talk. Several minutes later, Beca snuggled into Chloe, rested her head close to her pregnant girlfriend’s baby bump, and lightly pressed her ear against it.

“Did Bella say anything?” Chloe teased.

“Yes, she said her mom is a smartass,” Beca laughed.

Chloe laughed and ran her fingers through Beca’s now shorter hair.

“I like your shorter hair,” Chloe smiled.

Beca grumbled, “I’m getting used to it. Conrad was right about long hair being a liability out there, but I honestly didn’t think she’d cut hers so damn short.”

“Aubrey told me she thinks it makes Stacie sexier, Chloe winked.

“**_Ewww_**…,” Beca made a gagging gesture, “I seriously do **not** want to think about what those two are doing up there.”

Chloe laughed and pulled Beca up to face her. She gave her girlfriend a searing passionate kiss and waited for Beca’s reaction.

“Chlo? You’re pregnant,” Beca stated, rather confused.

“So?” Chloe asked before giving Beca a deep kiss that curled her toes and left her breathless.

The libidinous redhead quickly switched off the lamp next to her side of the bed. Beca did not get much sleep that night.

About a week later, as Stacie and Beca prepared for a supply run fueled by Chloe’s pregnancy, the tall brunette decided it was time to address her concerns about her sidekick’s recent exhausted state.

“Beca, you look like death warmed over. Are you sure you want to go with me? I’m pretty sure I can handle this on my own,” Stacie inquired as she strapped her machete onto her back.

“I’m fine,” Beca growled.

“Oh…yeah…sure you are,” Stacie skeptically remarked as she watched her extremely tired friend struggle to pull on her protective gear, “Need any help with that?”

“Shut it, Conrad,” Beca growled, “I’ve got this.”

Stacie rolled her eyes and waited for Beca to finish fussing with the last buckle on her vest before correcting the incorrectly buckled straps. Beca glared at her, but Stacie just smiled and ignored her.

“Let’s go,” Beca demanded.

“Not before we talk,” Stacie sat down and motioned for Beca to join her.

Beca loudly sighed and plopped down next to Stacie, “Dude…,” the exhausted little brunette whined, “I _seriously_ **don’t** want to discuss my sex life with you.”

“No worries. We won’t,” Stacie reassured Beca.

“Okay…what’s up?” Beca asked.

Stacie took a deep calming breath and let it out slowly before softly stating, “I’m thinking of asking Aubrey to marry me.”


	7. ‘‘He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby becomes a monster. And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee” – Nietzsche

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: The “Pitch Perfect” screenplay was written by Kay Cannon and the movie franchise is owned by Gold Circle Films. The song “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)” was written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. The author of this fan fiction does not profit, in any way, from the story. All creative rights to the characters and titles belong to their original creator(s).
> 
> AUTHOR’S NOTES: I find writing this series to be frighteningly therapeutic, given the current global pandemic.

Beca stared silently open-mouthed at Stacie while her brain quickly tried to figure out something to say.

After several minutes of silence, Beca finally exclaimed, “Dude! You **do** remember we are in the middle of a zombie apocalypse? Right?”

Rather than answer, Stacie just smiled, which puzzled and aggravated Beca.

Thoroughly unamused, Beca growled, “What?”

Stacie placed her hand on Beca’s shoulder and answered, “Yes, I _know_ we are in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. It’s kinda hard to forget, no matter how hard I try. Just once, I would love to wake up and not wonder if today will be the day I lose someone dear to me. Just once, I would love to take a leisurely walk outside. Just once, I would love to have a truly “Hallmark boring” day, instead of preparing and training to deal with asshole survivors or another zombie horde. Just once…” Tears began rolling down Stacie’s cheeks. She leaned over and put her face in her hands.

Beca, now stunned into silence, just stared at her best friend.

It took several minutes before Stacie leaned back up, wiped her face with her hands, weakly smiled, and apologized for breaking down.

“Dude…remember what you told me? “_Don’t apologize for being human_,” Beca stated and hugged Stacie.

As Beca hugged her, Stacie admitted, “Beca, I just want to bring a small sense of normalcy back into my life. Sometimes I look in the mirror and I don’t recognize the woman staring back at me. I know I’ve changed…and not all for the best.”

Beca remembered her recent internal battle with her humanity and nodded her head.

Stacie continued, “Deep down, I know Aubrey has always wanted a big wedding with friends and family, but she can’t have that now. I thought maybe a small ceremony with her friends, who are her new family, would make her happy.”

In response, Beca tightened her embrace.

As luck would have it, Aubrey walked in and demanded, “**What** is going on here?”

Beca swiftly internally debated whether to mess with Aubrey. She released Stacie, looked at the tall brunette, and yelped, “Dude, we’re so busted.”

With stereo shocked incredulous faces staring at her, Beca could not keep up her façade and started laughing. Through her laughter, she managed, “You two should see your faces!”

“Beca Mitchell! _That_ was **not** funny!” Aubrey reprimanded.

“Come on Posen…lighten up. Me with Conrad would be…,” Beca shook her head and quickly apologized to Stacie, “No offense dude.”

Stacie laughed and replied, “None taken.”

“You’ve got Conrad **_so_** whipped, she’s…,” Beca censored herself before she said too much.

“She’s _what_?” Aubrey demanded.

Thinking fast, Beca answered, “All mushy when she talks about you,” and made a gagging gesture.

The smitten look Aubrey gave Stacie caused Beca to quickly turn away and roll her eyes. When she heard kissing sounds, she scrunched up her nose in disgust and covered her eyes with her hand. While she waited for her friends to finish being affectionate, she mulled over the idea of asking Chloe to marry her. An abrupt and rather painful smack on her shoulder shook her out of her internal debate.

“Let’s go!” Stacie happily announced.

Beca slyly glanced back at Aubrey, who was staring at Stacie’s retreating backside and saw the most blissful expression she had ever seen grace her blonde tormentor’s face.

It caused Beca to wonder, _“I wonder if that’s…” _ and immediately shook her head to clear the nauseating invasive thought.

“Something wrong?” Stacie asked.

Beca, not trusting her voice, just shook her head. She followed Stacie towards “Greased Lightning,” fully charged with the wagon attached. After receiving the supply list from their girlfriends earlier that morning, Beca and Stacie decided some “one-stop shopping” at their favorite warehouse store would be the most time-effective option. As they rode towards their destination, Beca scanned the area with her eyes and constantly checked their thermal imaging scope, so Stacie could concentrate on driving.

Once they reached the warehouse store, Beca hopped out of the wagon, so Stacie could park inside the loading area. While Beca waited for Stacie, Kommissar teased her favorite little brunette with some good-natured flirting. With her sexual orientation on terra firma, she found Kommissar’s flirting no longer flustered her like before and just rolled her eyes. Stacie and Beca tackled the extensive compound supply list first. They loaded everything, excluding the perishable items, which they decided to save for just before they left, in the wagon.

With most of the compound shopping done, Beca and Stacie indulged in some personal shopping. Of course, Beca immediately made a beeline to the musical equipment area. While she was checking out the sparse selection, Kommissar followed her around and asked a bunch of annoying questions about Chloe’s pregnancy, which Beca surprisingly answered with a minimal amount of snark. During each lull in their conversation, Beca scanned the area for Stacie, making certain her bestie was safe. One of those scans found Stacie intensely staring into one of several glass cases.

“What’s in those?” Beca asked Kommissar and pointed towards Stacie.

Kommissar looked in the direction Beca was pointing and answered, “Fine jewelry.”

“I figured all the valuables would be gone by now,” Beca stated.

“When we realized we could use it to barter with the survivors inside and outside of here, we immediately stopped people from taking anything. Now, if anyone wants something from those cases, they either must earn it or work for it,” Kommissar replied.

Beca’s curiosity piqued, she asked, “How do they earn it?”

“Usually by going above and beyond what’s expected of them,” Kommissar smiled.

“How…,” Beca began but a now rather angry Kommissar cut her off.

“Lazy Americans! Whining about how hard they have to work!” Kommissar growled.

Before Kommissar could begin her rant, Beca walked over to the glass case Stacie was intensely staring in.

“What are you looking at?” Beca asked.

Stacie pointed to a tasteful wedding ring set and happily stated, “I think Aubrey would like that one.”

Beca scrutinized the rings and asked, “Shouldn’t wedding rings be gold? Not silver?”

Without looking at Beca, Stacie answered, “It’s platinum. Much more valuable than gold.”

The shocked little brunette was wondering what Stacie would have to do for Kommissar to get the rings, when the statuesque blonde spoke, “That is a **very** nice set. Very expensive,” startling both Beca and Stacie.

Stacie stood, smiled, and sighed, “Too rich for my blood.”

Kommissar waggled her eyebrows at Beca, who immediately yelped, “Mine too!”

“Are you planning on asking the blonde woman to marry you?” Kommissar asked Stacie.

“I wanted to, but I can’t afford that,” Stacie sadly replied.

Stacie and Beca turned to head towards the perishable section when the sound of keys stopped them. They turned back around and were stunned into silence as Kommissar unlocked the cabinet, pulled out the ring box, and locked the cabinet. She walked over to Stacie and placed the ring box in her hand.

“Take this as my thanks for saving our lives that day,” Kommissar brightly smiled.

The two shocked brunettes just stared at Kommissar for several minutes before Stacie finally thanked the bemused blonde.

“I hope you and your sweetheart have a happy wedding,” Kommissar well-wished.

Stacie and Kommissar began chatting about weddings, so Beca wandered off to finish the compound supply run. Several minutes later, after she placed the last perishable item in the wagon, she went to retrieve Stacie. When Beca saw Stacie and Kommissar in the same place she left them earlier, still chatting about weddings, she sighed and headed towards them. She was several feet away when a disturbing sound put her on high alert. Beca immediately scanned the area and saw the frighteningly familiar movement headed towards her friends.

Beca unleashed Little Ethel, bolted towards her friends, and screamed “ZOMBIE!!”


	8. “A happy life consists not in the absence, but in the mastery of hardships.” – Helen Keller

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: The “Pitch Perfect” screenplay was written by Kay Cannon and the movie franchise is owned by Gold Circle Films. The song “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)” was written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. The author of this fan fiction does not profit, in any way, from the story. All creative rights to the characters and titles belong to their original creator(s).
> 
> AUTHOR’S NOTES: Thank you for all your comments, kudos, and reviews. I appreciate the feedback.

Unlike the first time Beca witnessed Stacie in mortal danger, her actions were not slowed by fear this time. Due in part to her fatigue, she felt as though she was trying to run through waist-deep sand. Her mouth was dry from screaming and her lungs were starting to burn. The loud warehouse noises masked her screams, so she frantically waved her arms as she ran, hoping to catch the attention of her blissfully unaware friends. Beca was terrified she would not reach them in time.

No matter what she did, Beca could not get their attention, so as soon as she was close enough, she launched herself into her friends, knocking them out of the way of the zombie. She scrambled back to her feet and swung Little Ethel at the zombie’s head. It connected with a loud crack, but it failed to slow the undead creature down. She cursed under her breath and swore if she got through this alive, she would make sure to be well-rested before going on supply runs in the future. The zombie grabbed towards Beca, trying to grab her, so he could bite her.

“NOT TODAY!” Beca yelled, bent down, and brought Little Ethel down on one of the zombie’s kneecaps.

The zombie went down like a ton of bricks, but he was able to grab Beca’s ankle and pull her down.

“SHIT!” Beca growled and grappled with the zombie.

As she was struggling to keep his ever-moving mouth from connecting with any part of her, she heard Stacie yell.

“Push him away from you!”

Beca pushed the zombie’s upper body up and away from her, giving Stacie the opening she needed to chop off his head. The angry little brunette kicked the zombie’s headless body away from her.

Stacie reached down and helped Beca to her feet, “Beca, are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Beca answered and asked, “Are you guys okay?”

“Yes, thanks to you,” Kommissar gratefully replied.

“Beca, you and your _little friend_ saved my life…again,” Stacie hugged her bestie.

After Stacie finally released Beca, the little brunette wobbled a bit.

“Beca? Are you sure you’re okay?” Stacie asked, concerned.

“Yeah, yeah,” Beca waved Stacie’s concern away.

Stacie grabbed her friend’s arm and panic immediately set in, “BECA!”

When Beca saw the deep bite mark in her left forearm, her eyes grew wide, and her fatigue hit her, dropping her to the warehouse floor like a stone. Stacie immediately knelt next to Beca and checked her pulse. When she looked up to ask Kommissar if she had a first aid kit, she was pleasantly surprised to see the statuesque blonde running towards her with a large kit in her hands. Stacie cleaned out the deep wound as best she could and applied a tight tourniquet. She frantically packed up Beca in the wagon and recklessly sped back home.

Luckily, the ride back helped calm Stacie down enough, so she did not cause any security breaches when she got home. As soon as she pulled in and parked, she scooped Beca up in her arms and sped upstairs to the triage room. She almost knocked Aubrey over when she burst through the door.

“WHAT HAPPENED TO BECA?!” Aubrey yelled.

“She was bitten!” Stacie yelled as she ran to the triage room.

Aubrey ran ahead of Stacie and began prepping everything they would need. Stacie placed Beca on the bed, secured her down, and checked her wound. By now, it was inflamed with pustules. The putrid smell almost caused Stacie to hurl. Aubrey and Stacie were so busy trying to save Beca, they did not see Chloe enter the triage room.

“What?” Chloe asked and when she saw Beca, she screamed, “OH MY GOD! BECA!” and pushed her way through to her injured girlfriend.

Aubrey swiftly ushered Chloe out of the triage room, so Stacie could safely continue treating Beca. Getting her extremely hysterical best friend to calm down would be nothing short of a miracle, but Aubrey knew she had to, and quickly, for Bella’s sake.

“Chloe!” Aubrey shook the redhead by the shoulders, but to no avail.

Chloe was in shock and to compound matters, she would not stop screaming Beca’s name. Finally, Aubrey took a deep breath and slapped her best friend across the face.

Inside the triage room, Stacie was desperately trying to save Beca’s life. The little brunette’s body was now violently convulsing and white foam was rising out of her mouth. Stacie feared her best friend was dying.

“GODDAMMIT BECA!! DON’T YOU DIE ON ME!!” Stacie yelled.

Outside the triage room, Aubrey was tightly holding and comforting a sobbing redheaded mess. It took quite some time before Chloe stopped heaving as she attempted to speak.

“Aubrey, what if…,” Chloe began and the thought of losing Beca made her lose all composure again.

Aubrey reassuringly murmured into the top of Chloe’s head, “Beca is feisty. If anyone can beat this, she can. She’s in **very** capable hands, so let’s go to the living room and wait.”

Chloe nodded her head and stood. Aubrey wrapped her arm around her defeated best friend and guided her to the living room couch. The motherly blonde wrapped the blanket they always left on the couch around Chloe and held her best friend.

Beca’s violent convulsions abruptly stopped and her body collapsed onto the triage bed, so Stacie slowed her life-saving efforts. Her hand trembled as she reached out to check Beca’s pulse. An icy chill ran through Stacie and fear gripped her heart. The terrified brunette pushed through her fear and checked Beca’s pulse. Stacie’s entire being descended into sadness.

Something inside Aubrey alerted her Stacie needed her immediately, so she instructed Chloe to stay on the couch while she checked on Beca. In her exhausted state, Chloe could only manage to nod and pull the blanket tightly around herself. Aubrey managed to calmly walk out of the living room, so she would not scare Chloe, but as soon as she was out of sight, she bolted for the triage room.

When she reached the closed door, Aubrey could hear Stacie sobbing inside. She felt her legs buckle, but she knew her girlfriend needed her right now. Aubrey mustered up every ounce of courage, drew in a deep breath, and entered the triage room. Stacie was sitting on the floor sobbing uncontrollably. Aubrey closed and locked the door behind her.

“Stacie?” Aubrey softly called out.

As if in slow motion, Stacie looked up and through Aubrey. The panicked blonde immediately wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and hugged her tight.

“I…I…I…couldn’t…,” Stacie blubbered.

Aubrey murmured words of comfort and kissed Stacie’s temple. The anguished blonde did her best to control her grief while she held her girlfriend. Stacie’s body racked with sobs through her agony. A long while later, Stacie settled down enough for Aubrey to get the limp brunette off the triage room floor and into a chair.

“You stay here, okay? I’m going to check on Beca,” Aubrey softly stated.

Stacie absently nodded. Aubrey braced herself and walked over to the bed. She took a deep breath, looked down at Beca, and checked her pulse. Aubrey furrowed her brow and grabbed the stethoscope. She pressed it against Beca’s chest and listened.

“ZOMBIE!!” Beca screamed, nearly shattering Aubrey’s eardrums. 

Aubrey swiftly pulled the stethoscope out of her ears and fought the overwhelming urge to clock Beca.

“She’s alive?!” Stacie incredulously exclaimed next to Aubrey.

“It would seem so,” Aubrey softly growled.

Stacie, initially confused by Aubrey’s anger, noticed the stethoscope draped around her neck and realized what happened. She placed a reassuring hand on Aubrey’s shoulder, apologized, and checked Beca’s eyes. Aubrey peered over Stacie’s shoulder.

“It’s…,” Stacie began.

“Worse than Chloe,” Aubrey finished.

“FUCK! THIS SHIT HURTS!” Beca yelled and began wildly thrashing to reach her left arm.

Stacie ran around to Beca’s left side to check her wound.

She imploringly looked at Aubrey, “Did you happen to…?”

Before she could finish asking her question, Aubrey handed Stacie a syringe, “Yes. It’s the stuff the mad doctor was using to keep his test subjects sedated.”

Stacie proudly smiled at Aubrey, took the syringe, and injected Beca. In a matter of seconds, the thrashing cussing brunette was out cold. Stacie let out the breath she was holding. Aubrey asked her what happened at the warehouse store and Stacie spent the next several minutes bringing her girlfriend up to speed.

“Should we give Beca Z2012?” Aubrey asked.

Stacie shook her head, “No. Remember what it did to the other test subjects? The ones that took Chloe’s place?”

“Maybe we should find a way to replicate the military cure vaccine?” Aubrey suggested.

“We don’t have the equipment,” Stacie sadly replied.

“But the…,” Aubrey brightly began before Stacie glared at her.

“Yeah…I guess going back there is out of the question,” Aubrey sighed.

They stared down at Beca as they silently pondered their next move.


	9. “The difficulty is not so great to die for a friend, as to find a friend worth dying for.” – Homer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: The “Pitch Perfect” screenplay was written by Kay Cannon and the movie franchise is owned by Gold Circle Films. The song “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)” was written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. The author of this fan fiction does not profit, in any way, from the story. All creative rights to the characters and titles belong to their original creator(s).
> 
> AUTHOR’S NOTES: Writing this during a global pandemic is surreal.

A knock on the triage room door brought Aubrey and Stacie out of their all-consuming thoughts.

Aubrey silently mouthed, _“Chloe.”_

Stacie softly asked, “What are we supposed to tell her?”

“The truth,” Aubrey softly answered.

After another knock on the triage room door, Stacie reluctantly opened it. Standing in front of her, wrapped in the couch blanket, stood Chloe with blood-shot eyes and tear-streaked cheeks.

“How’s Beca?” Chloe murmured.

Stacie wrapped her arm around Chloe and brought her inside the triage room. She led her over to Beca’s left arm. The bandage Stacie put on Beca’s wound earlier was now soaked through. The sight both worried and repulsed Chloe. When the putrid smell reached her nostrils, it pushed the pregnant redhead over the edge. She rushed out of the triage room and straight into the bathroom. Stacie stood outside the bathroom door, waiting for Chloe to stop throwing up.

“Chloe? Are you okay?” Stacie asked through the closed door.

She managed an, “Uh-huh,” before throwing up again.

By the time the nauseous redhead felt well enough to exit the bathroom, she completely emptied her stomach. When she opened the bathroom door, Aubrey greeted her with a sleeve of soda crackers and a cup of decaffeinated chamomile tea.

“Where’s Stacie?” Chloe weakly asked.

“She went back to tend to Beca,” Aubrey answered and gently inquired, “Do you want to go lie down?”

Chloe bravely shook her head and shuffled towards the triage room. Aubrey followed close behind. When she entered the triage room, Chloe handed what was left of her sleeve of soda crackers and an empty teacup to Aubrey. She shook off her nervousness, took a deep breath, and walked over to Stacie, who just finished changing Beca’s bandage.

“Are we going to inject Beca with Z2012?” Chloe asked.

Stacie shook her head and reminded Chloe that Z2012 did not work on the bitten test subjects, plus it made them extremely violent and uncontrollable.

“What options do we have left?” Chloe desperately begged.

At that moment, Beca shifted and moaned, putting Stacie on high alert. The tall brunette internally debated whether she should immediately sedate Beca or allow Chloe to witness a fit. As Beca emerged from her sedation fog, she desperately tried to focus her eyes. For a split second, she saw Chloe and weakly smiled before the excruciating pain overwhelmed her body. A heartbreaking scream shattered their fleeting moment and Chloe hit her knees in anguish. Aubrey immediately rushed to Chloe’s side and helped her out of the room, while Stacie sedated Beca.

Aubrey assisted a distraught Chloe towards her bedroom.

“Aubrey, my bedroom,” Chloe weakly pointed towards the master bedroom.

The motherly blonde smiled and reassured Chloe, “I think it would be better for you to sleep in our bedroom for now.”

The defeated redhead just nodded.

After Aubrey settled Chloe in for the night, she returned to Stacie. When she entered the triage room, she found her girlfriend standing vigil over a sleeping Beca.

Aubrey slipped her arms around Stacie’s waist and murmured, “Come to bed.”

Stacie shook her head and answered, “No, I need to stay here with Beca.”

The weary blonde gritted her teeth to keep her anger at bay, took a deep calming breath, and stated, “You need to get some **real** sleep now because _this_ is going to tax you much more than treating Chloe did. You ran yourself ragged treating Chloe, even with Beca’s help.”

Stacie mulled over Aubrey’s statement and after several minutes, she nodded her head despondently.

The vexed brunette acquiesced, “I _know_ I can’t do this alone.”

Aubrey wrapped her arms around her dejected girlfriend and softly reassured, “You’re not alone. I’ll help you any way I can.”

Stacie looked up into Aubrey’s eyes, cupped her girlfriend’s cheek, and lovingly kissed her lips.

As they prepped Beca for the night, Stacie showed Aubrey a catheter, silently asking if she should use it. Aubrey nodded as she set up Beca’s intravenous fluids. According to the mad doctor’s records, a double dose of the sedative kept most of his test subjects out for twelve hours, so after she inserted the catheter in Beca, Stacie administered an additional dose of sedative. She double-checked Beca’s restraints before locking up the triage room for the night.

On their way towards their bedroom, Aubrey told Stacie she put Chloe in their room so their friend would not have to deal with Beca’s lingering scent on top of everything else. Stacie hugged her girlfriend and they headed towards their old bedroom. By the time they reached the den, they were both too exhausted to pull out the bed, so after stripping off their clothes, Aubrey grabbed a blanket and they slept on the couch in their underwear.

Early the next morning, Stacie woke with the sun, dressed, kissed a sleeping Aubrey on the cheek, and headed to the triage room. When she got there, Stacie found Chloe curled up in front of the door.

“Chloe,” Stacie softly called and lightly shook her shoulder.

The sleepy redhead rubbed her eyes and asked, “How’s Beca?”

“We gave her a double-dose of sedative before we locked up, so she would sleep through the night,” Stacie answered as she unlocked the triage room door.

Stacie checked Beca’s vitals and entered everything in the journal she started last night.

“How is she?” Chloe cautiously asked.

“Her vitals are fine,” Stacie answered as she began to change Beca’s bandage.

As she dreaded, blood and pus saturated the bandage. The foul smell was already making Stacie’s eyes water. She grabbed a jar of Mentholatum and spread a thin layer under her nose. After she peeled away the bandage, Stacie gritted her teeth to keep down what little she had in her stomach. Beca’s wound had already putrefied, which shocked Stacie.

“What’s wrong?” Chloe asked, bringing Stacie out of her shock.

Stacie shook her head to clear it and lied, “Nothing.”

Chloe peered over at Beca’s arm and gasped. Before Stacie could escort Chloe away, Aubrey wrapped her arm around the traumatized redhead and led her out of the triage room. As she exited the room, Aubrey glanced back at Stacie, who silently mouthed, “_Thank you_.”

An hour later, Aubrey entered the triage room.

Without looking up at Aubrey, Stacie asked, “How’s Chloe?” as she poured over the mad doctor’s copious notes and reports, desperately trying to find something…anything, they may have missed.

“How did you know it was me?” Aubrey asked as she sat down next to her girlfriend.

Stacie looked at Aubrey, took a deep breath, and stated, “Your scent. It calms me.”

Stunned, but happy, Aubrey leaned in, kissed Stacie on the cheek, and filled her in on Chloe’s condition.

“I’m not sure Chloe is going to get through this,” Aubrey aired her concerns.

“We have to make sure she does,” Stacie stated with conviction, paused, and softly added, “…for Bella’s sake.”

“How? How are we supposed to help Beca, Chloe, AND Bella?” Aubrey fretted.

Stacie wrapped her arms around her distraught girlfriend and hugged her tight, “We. Just. Do.”


End file.
